US pastor Terry Jones denied entry into Canada

By Joe Slezak, @joeslezak1

Friday, October 12, 2012

WINDSOR, Ontario — Terry Jones, the controversial anti-Islam pastor who demonstrated on the sidewalk outside Edsel Ford High School on Wednesday, was denied entry into Canada the next day for an event that evening in Toronto.

The Windsor Star reported that Jones attempted to cross into Ontario at the Ambassador Bridge, but was detained, searched and interrogated for more than five hours before being denied entry at about 3:30 p.m.

Jones and associate Wayne Sapp, who also attended the Edsel Ford rally, drove back to Gainesville, Fla., after the incident.

“There’s no doubt we’re being singled out, of course, because of our activities and because of what we’re going to do” Jones, 61, told The Star.

Jones and Sapp demonstrated without incident in front of Edsel Ford about what they said was bullying by Muslim students of non-Muslim students (see related story). Dearborn police told Jones as he was walking on a sidewalk in front of the school on the way to the demonstration that he had to return his handgun to his car, which was parked in a nearby neighborhood. He did without protest. The gun had been holstered on his right hip, in plain view.

In Toronto, Jones and Sapp were planning to attend what their group, Stand Up America!, called a “pro-freedom” roundtable discussion about whether Islam is compatible with Western society.

One of the topics was to be the film “Innocence of Muslims,” which Stand Up America! has promoted. The film, made in California, mocks the Prophet Muhammad and has sparked riots in several countries. A trailer for the film was posted on YouTube.

The Associated Press reported that the event went on without Jones and Sapp.

Jones told The Star that the rejection by customs officials is “a horrifying blow to freedom of speech.”

“I think it shows that we are cowing to special interest groups like Islam,” Jones told The Star. “We are giving into fear, into intimidation.”

A press release from Stand Up America! said Jones and Sapp were searched and their rental car was searched. Their cellphones and computers also were searched, and two signs — saying “Koran burning site” and “Islam is the new Nazism” — were confiscated.

They also were asked if they were bringing a copy of “Innocence of Muslims” into Canada, which they said they were not.

Stand Up America! said they were denied entry based on two legal issues. One was Jones being awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity from a California university in 1993 based on his missionary work in Germany. The German government fined him for using the title “doctor.” Stand Up America! said he paid the fine and won an appeal to use the title. The other was their arrest and jailing in Dearborn in April 2011 for refusing to pay a peace bond before a scheduled protest in front of the Islamic Center of America.

“Clearly the Canadian government had no valid reason to bar them from Canada, and the decision was purely political,” Jones’ release said.

Customs officials told The Star that several reasons can be used to deny admission into Canada, including involvement in human rights violations; involvement in organized crime or criminal activity; or security, health or financial reasons, and that decisions are made on a case-by-case basis based on “specific facts presented by the applicant at the time of entry.”

Jones, who has made several appearances in Dearborn, has been banned from England and Germany, and an arrest warrant has been issued for him in Egypt for his promotion of “Innocence of Muslims.” Jones said Wednesday that he’s had more than 400 death threats, and there are bounties of about $6.4 million on his life.